582: Chapter 582 The Shadow of Sparks

The name for Lin Chuyan's new company was quickly decided—Spark Film.

"Starfire can start a prairie fire"—this was not just a bold statement, but his aspiration for the new company.

He hoped this company would become a platform for capable new directors and talented new actors to showcase their skills, and he also hoped these emerging forces could open up broader horizons for domestic cinema.

They are the sparks that will set the prairie ablaze; they are the hope for the future of domestic cinema… This was the vision behind him founding such a company.

Well, there was definitely no intention of secretly hiding his wife's name in there.

Once the name was decided, the next steps involved a series of tedious preparations, including registering the company.

For example, recruiting staff, establishing a script review team; collaborating with schools like the Beijing Film Academy and the Central Academy of Drama to build a talent pool; and finding post-production companies in advance to reach cooperation agreements.

These major moves quickly attracted the attention of the industry. Even though Lin Chuyan hadn't officially announced it, the name "Spark Film" was already spreading like wildfire throughout the circle.

Recalling the seminar for la la land, when Lin Chuyan criticized the film industry, many peers didn't dare say anything on the surface, but in reality, they scoffed at him.

In their view, anyone could say pretty words, and openly discussing industry pain points was just a way to pander to the audience and grab attention.

Everyone understood the logic, but no one was willing to offend their peers like Lin Chuyan did.

But now, seeing him implement his plan with such swift and decisive action, everyone in the industry was truly shocked: "Holy shit, you're serious? You're really going all out to set up your own shop…"

Word spread quickly, and this news soon caused a huge stir in the industry.

For capital, Lin Chuyan's decision to produce ne zha back then had actually already been a signal.

It was just that an unknown animation director receiving nearly 100 million yuan in investment from Lin Chuyan looked, at the time, like Lin Chuyan had been scammed…

But looking at it now, supporting newcomers seems to have always been Lin Chuyan's goal?

More importantly, Lin Chuyan is no longer the Lin Chuyan from before la la land. With his current resources and influence, the film capital market is likely going to be reshuffled…

If some rise, others are destined to fall. Some were worried about this, while others were eager and ready to go, seeing new opportunities.

For those talented but unrecognized filmmakers, this news was like sweet rain after a long drought.

Moreover, the backer was Lin Chuyan—the Lin Chuyan who competed at The Oscars, the Lin Chuyan who is now rising to fame in the world of cinema. Such an opportunity was much more reliable than those empty promises.

I mean, isn't ne zha a classic case? After getting the investment, the film is about to be released this year!

Seeing that the news had already spread, Lin Chuyan simply made an official announcement on Weibo.

[Thanks to all my family for your support. la la land really made money. The question is: what should I do with so much money? I thought about it and decided: why not put some in my own pocket, donate some, and use some to contribute a little to domestic cinema? So, Spark Film is officially established. Friends in the industry, if you have a good script, or think you are a capable director or a good actor (it doesn't matter if you aren't good-looking), feel free to recommend yourself. Spark Film is willing to support everyone in making movies—good movies.]

He subsequently reposted Producer Zhang Man's Weibo.

[A warm welcome to Sister Man for joining Spark Film!]

Netizens didn't know Producer Zhang Man, but they were surprised that Lin Chuyan had opened another new company. And, as always, his Weibo was incredibly sincere.

["Put some in my own pocket"—what the hell, is he really being that honest?]

[Let him earn! Let him earn! He needs to earn more so he can donate more! I took a peek at the Yanyu Foundation, and he's transferred money again recently.]

["It doesn't matter if you aren't good-looking"? Dying of laughter, Yanzi, you might as well just say it's okay to be ugly!]

[Lin Chuyan is actually doing things, brothers. He's really down-to-earth and getting real work done!]

[Fine, fine, fine, single-handedly changing the state of the industry, right? I support Lin Chuyan in reshaping the film circle!]

[I used to think Lin Chuyan was too frivolous because he was fighting with Haters every day, but looking at it now, joking around and being down-to-earth don't conflict at all. Indeed, time is the best test of a person.]

Gao Jun also reposted Lin Chuyan's Weibo, giving a thumbs up to his consistency in words and actions.

He saw more than the average netizen.

[I chatted with some friends in the industry, and everyone has a consensus: regarding this new company of Lin Chuyan's, I can't say much else, but at the very least, it should allow us to see more good movies in the cinema in the future.

In recent years, a type of variety show has suddenly popped up—things like "Actor, Please XX", "Director, Please XX", "Let's Start Filming XX", "XX Transcendence Class"… At first, everyone held onto hope, thinking the production teams were earnestly digging for talented directors and actors, but as we watched, we quickly realized something was wrong.

Why do they only invite freaks to make fools of themselves on stage? Why did the focus shift from the actors and directors on stage to the judges off stage? The actors play the clown, act abstractly, and assault our eyes with poor acting, while the judges off stage look confused, get angry, and mock each other. Then we realized, oh, this is a variety show, and variety shows have scripts.

Why do I think Lin Chuyan's approach is more reliable? I'll give two examples.

First, ne zha is being released this year. At the beginning, this project was pitched to many investors, but no one was willing to invest. Only Lin Chuyan saw its value and took on the entire investment himself. This can't be faked—who else has the guts to put up 100 million to support domestic animation?

Second, many people didn't notice the second Weibo post Lin Chuyan reposted—Producer Zhang Man has joined Lin Chuyan's new company. She is a well-known producer in the industry; since she works behind the scenes, it's normal for the audience not to be familiar with her, but everyone needs to know one thing: Producer Zhang Man was the chief producer of la la land. She deserves a lot of credit for the film being completed smoothly in a place where they were strangers. Such a person joining Lin Chuyan's team shows that he is serious.

In short, as a blogger who has long followed domestic cinema, I sincerely hope Lin Chuyan can build his own film empire; for the audience, this is definitely a good thing.]

The heated online discussions made the name of Spark Film spread even wider. And the scripts being submitted came in faster and in greater numbers than Lin Chuyan had anticipated.

However, many people were destined to be disappointed. Lin Chuyan had made up his mind that this new company would follow a high-quality route.

There are so many people watching him right now, especially regarding the company's first film. If it flops, it will become a laughing stock… He must choose a truly brilliant film to lead the charge!